I think my favorite thing about this new mini-explosion of ‘net-based startups and products is that the creators are so accessible.
I’ve posted about Ning, Synchroedit, and Meetro in particular in the last couple of months, and in every one of those posts I’ve had comments appear from developers and others involved in the projects.
I assume they’re monitoring various blog search engines for mentions of the products. Wonderful! The developers end up with feedback from users who didn’t even know they were providing it, as well as a chance to clear up misconceptions. In the case of Ning, I also received tech support before I asked for it. Now that’s service!
Maybe I was a bit young to notice at the time, but I don’t remember seeing open lines of communication between the last round of tech startups and users. Sure, it takes a bit of extra time to maintain, but frank discussion can only help make your product better.